December 12, 1995

After a sometimes bitter campaign between Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet, 60 per cent of Nunavut voters cast ballots in favour of Iqaluit as the capital of Nunavut. The decade-old dispute over where to put Nunavut's capital was finally put to rest.

Iqaluit wins capital vote

Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — It wasn't even close.

Analysts and capital campaign workers had predicted a nail-biter, but in the end Iqaluit took 60 per cent of the vote to 39 per cent for Rankin Inlet in the December 11 public vote for Nunavut's capital.

"We did it," said Lazarus Arreak, an Iqaluit campaign worker, moments after the results were broadcast over CBC radio on Tuesday afternoon.

Many Iqaluit supporters they were surprised Iqaluit got almost 2,000 more votes than Rankin Inlet.

On Sunday, Rankin Inlet Mayor Keith Sharp predicted his community would win by a margin of 52 per cent to 48 per cent.

Although community-by-community vote counts will never be released, it appears that high voter turnout in the Baffin and low turnouts in the Keewatin and Kitikmeot made the difference.

Iqaluit Mayor Joe Kunuk says he was humbled by the support for Iqaluit, and he called on Nunavut's leaders to hold a meeting to promote unity.